World News Quick Take

Agencies

INDIA

Girl thrown from train

A five-year-old girl was thrown out of a moving train in Mumbai during an argument between her family and another passenger over sharing a seat, police said yesterday. The girl suffered head injuries when she landed on the tracks after the train had left the main Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. “A scuffle broke out over seating and the little girl was thrown out of the door. It happened in just a few seconds,” Mumbai railway police chief Tukaram Chavan said. “She’s receiving treatment and recovering. She was very lucky not to have been hit by another train.” A 19-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the incident. Newspapers said other passengers in the crowded train had beaten him up after the incident. “Had I known that the man was a maniac, I would have given him the seat instead of putting my daughter’s life in danger,” the girl’s father told the Hindustan Times.

AUSTRALIA

Cheetah delays flight

Passengers on a Qantas flight were delayed yesterday when the pilot reported difficulties in getting one passenger on board — a cheetah. “We’re sorry for the delay, but we’re having some problems loading the cheetah,” the pilot reportedly told passengers as the plane sat on the tarmac at Melbourne airport. Qantas said the Adelaide-bound flight was delayed for 36 minutes after ground staff had problems loading the pallet carrying the big cat, which was bound for a South Australian zoo.

BANGLADESH

Rat’s head found in curry

Police are investigating the chef at a canteen of a leading university in Dhaka after a student found a rat’s head in a bowl of chicken curry, sparking protests. The student made the gruesome discovery while eating lunch on Monday and fell sick immediately, said Chowdhury Muhammad Zakaria, the head of security at Rajshahi University. The incident led to protests by students at the school, the country’s second-largest with more than 25,000 students, who were already demonstrating about a recent hike in the price of canteen meals.

AUSTRALIA

Oprah cuddles koala

US talkshow queen Oprah Winfrey cuddled a koala as her “Ultimate Australian Adventure” swung into action. Winfrey touched down in Great Barrier Reef holiday spot Hamilton Island in her private jet before driving a golf buggy to a wildlife sanctuary, where she was mobbed by hundreds of cheering Australians on the first stop of her eight-day tour. “It’s beautiful. It’s a long trip but it’s worth it,” Winfrey said of her first impressions of Australia.

KAZAKHSTAN

Scientists must probe aging

President Nursultan Nazarbayev, 70, has instructed scientists at a newly opened research center to develop ways to reverse the aging process. Speaking to students on Tuesday at the recently inaugurated Nazarbayev University, he said the Center for Life Sciences’ priorities should include finding ways to artificially produce human tissue and rejuvenate the body. Earlier this year, Nazarbayev was effectively made leader for life, giving him the right to determine policies after he retires.

UAE

Box of animals doesn’t fly

A Saudi who flew in from Jakarta with snakes, parrots and a squirrel in his hand luggage has been arrested at Abu Dhabi airport, Emirati dailies reported on Tuesday. “The man was just about to board a plane at the capital’s airport when a member of staff noticed that something was moving inside a box he was carrying,” said an English-language paper, 7Days. “Inside were four snakes, two parrots and a squirrel, all alive and separated in different compartments inside the box.”